My wife, Sue, and I came to Amsterdam from Maryland on the Tuesday prior to the cruise to enjoy the city. We were met there by our good friends, Gary and Julie, from Kentucky on Wednesday who joined us on the cruise. This was a 35th Anniversary Cruise for us and a Happy Birthday Cruise for Gary. The weather co-operated somewhat. There were clouds and on and off rain on Tuesday and Wednesday with partly cloudy skies on Thursday. We stayed in the museum district not far from the Rijksmuseum at a small Bed and Breakfast (THE COLLECTOR) on De Lairessestraat. For 8 Euros total, the 197 bus from the airport dropped us off about 200 yards from the front door. The #16 Tram line ran right in front of the B&B making access to the center city easy. We had a back room that overlooked a small courtyard complete with chicken coop and chickens that provided fresh eggs in the morning. The owner, Karel, was very friendly and enjoyable to talk to. The room was spacious and clean, the bed was comfortable, and it had its own private bath. Karel recommended a small Dutch Restaurant not far from the B&B (La Falote) and we ended up eating there 2 of the nights. The restaurant owner and cook, Peter, served great Dutch food at a reasonable price. He also entertained us playing American tunes (Home On The Range, etc) on his accordion. While there, we met another couple who live only 30 miles from our home. They were going on the same cruise. They also ate there 2 nights.

Amsterdam was all that we had read about and more. We opted for the Museumkaart and a GVB Pass for the 4 days we were there instead of the iAmsterdam Kaart. We visited the Anne Frank Haus, Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Museum Van Loon, Bijbelmuseum and the Royal Palace. We walked and walked all over; then we rode the Tram and repeated this throughout the day. We covered a lot of the city but, unfortunately, could not get into more of the museums as 3 full days did not allow enough time. We took a relaxing 1 hr 15 min canal ride on THE BLUE BOAT in the Canals of Amsterdam. At the end of each day, we were pooped and our dogs were tired and sore as the saying goes, but we enjoyed every minute we were in the city.

We also booked a 4 hour tour on Thursday to see the windmills on the Zaanse Schans as well as the former fishing villages of Volendam and Marken. I had some of the best fried Cod I have ever eaten while in Volendam. There was not enough time spent at any of the 3 places, especially at Marken. We no sooner arrived at Marken, took a short 15 min walk from the boat to the Shoe Makers Building, watched a 5 minute demonstration on how Dutch Wooden Shoes are made, and then we were told we had 10 minutes to shop before the bus left to return to Amsterdam. You had better not be late since three passengers were late (by 10 minutes) getting back to the bus in Zaanse Schans, and it left without them. This tour really should have only gone to the Zaanse Schans and Volendam and skipped Marken in my opinion. Read more